Not a bad way to start the year
So, it's midnight on the first night of 2011, and I'm eating a big bowl of conchiglie with homemade Bolognese sauce based heavily on Ragu alla Bolognese Ricetta Antica from Lidia's Italy.
Why am I doing this? Because the sauce has another hour or two to simmer but I could no longer stand to wait until it's done. The smell was killing me with anticipation. I thought I was going to make it tonight and eat it tomorrow. No chance.
One of the things I love about the cooking show Lidia's Italy is the chef's obvious love for the food and culture of Italy and also for her family. Her mother, son, daughter, and grandchildren all join her in her kitchen. Now, I realize that families are often different in public than in private, but this family seems to enjoy one another so unaffectedly on the show, that whatever their off-camera foibles may be, it's a joy to watch them.
But I digress. You may have noticed. Sorry; I'm distracted by the Bolognese. It tastes like love. This is a great recipe. It's so good, that even not having all the ingredients on hand doesn't diminish it.
When Lidia made the recipe on the show, she used veal, pork, and beef. (The on-line recipe just calls for pork and beef.) I don't eat two of the three, so I used turkey, bison, and beef. She used bacon. I'm out of the beef bacon I usually use in place of pork bacon, so I used anchovies. She used regular onions. I used spring onions. She used tomato paste. What I thought was tomato paste turned out to be tomato sauce. Oh, well. In it went. On the show, she used olive oil and butter to saute the vegetables. I used olive oil and ghee. Her pestata included a carrot. I didn't have any, so I used a parsnip.
That's a lot of substitutions. A lesser recipe would have collapsed under the sheer quantity of changes. Not this one. It isn't even finished yet, and it's already rich, complex, and luscious. Definitely not a bad way to start the year!
Why am I doing this? Because the sauce has another hour or two to simmer but I could no longer stand to wait until it's done. The smell was killing me with anticipation. I thought I was going to make it tonight and eat it tomorrow. No chance.
One of the things I love about the cooking show Lidia's Italy is the chef's obvious love for the food and culture of Italy and also for her family. Her mother, son, daughter, and grandchildren all join her in her kitchen. Now, I realize that families are often different in public than in private, but this family seems to enjoy one another so unaffectedly on the show, that whatever their off-camera foibles may be, it's a joy to watch them.
But I digress. You may have noticed. Sorry; I'm distracted by the Bolognese. It tastes like love. This is a great recipe. It's so good, that even not having all the ingredients on hand doesn't diminish it.
When Lidia made the recipe on the show, she used veal, pork, and beef. (The on-line recipe just calls for pork and beef.) I don't eat two of the three, so I used turkey, bison, and beef. She used bacon. I'm out of the beef bacon I usually use in place of pork bacon, so I used anchovies. She used regular onions. I used spring onions. She used tomato paste. What I thought was tomato paste turned out to be tomato sauce. Oh, well. In it went. On the show, she used olive oil and butter to saute the vegetables. I used olive oil and ghee. Her pestata included a carrot. I didn't have any, so I used a parsnip.
That's a lot of substitutions. A lesser recipe would have collapsed under the sheer quantity of changes. Not this one. It isn't even finished yet, and it's already rich, complex, and luscious. Definitely not a bad way to start the year!